1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to air deflectors, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to an aerodynamically enhanced air grill mountable on a vehicle for improving stability and reducing wind resistance of the vehicle.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of air deflectors have been proposed by the prior art for use with large highway tractor-trailer rigs in order to reduce air flow drag and improve fuel mileage. Typical prior art air deflectors are described in Meadows (U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,673), Geiger (U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,065), Edwards (U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,879), Landry et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,957), Saunders (U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,120) and Kerrigan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,566). While each of the before stated references discloses various types of air deflectors, such air deflectors do not act as a grill for receiving and discharging air flow in order to improve vehicle stability.
Other prior art references (such as John, U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,438) disclose the use of air channeling ducts mounted in the body of campers or trailers to provide air flow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas of the vehicle; whereas Geotz (U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,191) discloses air guide channels that extend from the front end wall of a truck cab to the side walls of the cab. Other references, such as Alfred (U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,948) and Reynolds (U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,267), disclose deflector wall and wind diverter awnings for use with travel trailers.
In addition to the before described prior art, Clark (U.S. Pat. No. 660,046) describes a ventilator for railroad cars; whereas Pierce (U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,224) discloses a horse trailer equipped with a ventilation opening on its forward wall and Farr (U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,198) discloses the use of closely spaced stream lined vanes in an air ingesting grill to prevent the intrusion of foreign objects.
Other prior art references which relate generally to air diverters and ducting, wind drag reducers, air deflectors, or components therefor are Wilfert (U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,707), Whited (U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,716), Dayus (U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,294), and French Pat. Nos. 1,281,065 and 1,336,673.
It is apparent from the above that the prior art is replete with air deflecting devices. However, problems have remained in the design and construction of air deflectors which would enhance not only the performance of the vehicle, but would also enhance the stability of the vehicle without extensive modification or complex components being required in the modification of such vehicles.
The trailer air grill described in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 140,475, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,422, overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art air deflectors in that such trailer air grill is provided with a unique structure which progressively deflects impacting air to the sides of the trailer during movement thereof. This not only improves the stability of the trailer, but also substantially reduces the likelihood of fishtailing of the trailer. In addition, the unique design of such trailer air grill provides improved fuel mileage for the vehicle pulling the trailer.
The trailer air grill disclosed in my beforementioned co-pending application is constructed for mounting in the front wall and side walls of a trailer. The trailer air grill is provided with a front intake air grill having vertical stationary louvers which are angled to direct air flow toward a side wall discharge air grills mounted in the side walls of the trailers. An interior V-shaped deflector barrier is disposed directly behind the front intake air grill and extends rearwardly with the opposite ends of the deflector barrier attached to the interior side walls of the trailer rearwardly of the side wall air discharge grills. The deflector barrier thus enhances the deflection of the air flow at an angle and toward the side wall air discharge grills when air impacting the front wall intake air grill is received therethrough.
While the trailer air grill disclosed in my copending application represents an advance in the state of the art relating to air grills, new and improved air grills are desired which are more readily adapted to mount on a vehicle. Further, the need still remains for improvements in the aerodynamics of the air grill, and thus the stability and reduction to wind resistance of the vehicle. It is to such an aerodynamically enhanced air grill that the present invention is directed.